The subject matter described herein relates generally to sensors, and particularly to attaching and detaching a sensor cartridge from a sensor head assembly.
Environmental sensing systems may include a variety of sensors for detecting the presence and/or concentration of various chemicals in hazardous environments. For example, sensors may be used in hazardous environments for detecting the presence and/or concentration of hazardous (e.g., combustible) and/or toxic gases.
The sensing systems generally include a sensor housed in a cartridge and a head assembly coupled to a mounting structure. The head assembly provides a removable electrical interface between a sensor and the mounting structure. The sensor generally includes an interface having a pin array to removably couple to the head assembly. However, the interface requires manual alignment of the pin array such that the sensor cartridge cannot be mated to the head assembly in a blind fashion (e.g., an operator has to visual inspect and ascertain the orientation of the pin array to align the sensor to the head assembly). Furthermore, because the pin array is not guarded, pins may be damaged as the operator attempts to properly align the pin array.